Clarie Potter: Meet the Prankster
by Random Anonymous Writer
Summary: It all begins with the night when Voldemort murdered Harry Potter's family. Two out of four of the family remained. One is Harry Potter and the other is his elder sister Clarie Potter. Explore the world of Clarie, as she, much like her brother later on, entered and explored the world of magic.
1. Prologue

It was rather a chilly night to be in October. A tall, black-haired man waved his wand. Puffs of coloured smoke ejected from his wand, and pieces of shimmering, colourful ribbons flew onto the floor.

A blacked-haired baby boy at around one year old laughed, stumbling on his feet and waving his fat fists, as if he were trying to catch the smoke. A red-haired girl of three giggled, 'Do that again, daddy, do that again!'

'Now that's quite enough, James,' an elegant red-haired woman appeared at the door, saying with an edge of disapproval. 'It's late now and the kids need to sleep.'

'Oh mommy, please, just another minute!' the red-haired little girl pleaded.

'No, Clarie, not now,' said the mother sternly. 'You've had enough and it's time for you and Harry to go to bed.'

James sighed, as he scooped up Harry and hand him to his wife Lily. Lily held Harry with one arm, and spared one hand to take a scowling Clarie.

James threw his wand on the sofa and stretched, yawning. Suddenly the door burst open with a bang. James sprinted into the hall, terrified at the sight of the white, snake-like face of lord Voldemort appearing at the doorway.

'Lily, take the kids and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-'

Voldemort laughed, in his high, cold voice. He raised his wand-holding arm lazily and pointed at the back of James, who was running to fetch his wand, and shouted, 'Avada Kedavra!'

The green light filled the carpeted hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut…

Lily screamed on the upper floor, but she was sensible enough to know she still had the duty to protect the kids. She got all she can get, boxes, chairs and etcetera to barricade the room.

Inside the room, she took Clarie to the back of the cot and hid her well. 'No matter what happens,' she said, with a trembling voice and there came a thundering bang and noise of falling items, 'You must stay behind the cot and make no sound.'

Clarie nodded, and she saw tears trailed down Lily's face. 'Don't cry, mommy, don't cry,' said Clarie, holding out her hands to wipe her mother's tears, though she didn't understand why her mother was crying.

Lily forced a brave smile. Just then with another loud bang, the door flew open. She saw it, the terrifying white face. She put Harry into the cot and murmured something. Then she stood between the kids and Voldemort and said in a quavering voice, 'Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!'

'Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…'

'Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead…'

'This is my last warning-'

'Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy…'

'Stand aside - stand aside, girl-'

His wand had been pointing at the baby. Harry wasn't crying, in fact, he looked at Voldemort with great interest, as if thinking the intruder was his father, hiding under the cloak. Voldemort's thin lips suddenly curled into a smile and moved his hand sideways. The mother thought her child was spared, but with another brilliant flash of green light and Voldemort's cry of '_Avada Kedavra!_' the mother fell on the floor, her eyes stared at the ceiling blankly, dead.

Clarie, hiding behind the cot was terrified. She saw the whole scene through the bars. She saw the foul face turned to her brother, studying Harry hungrily. The intruder stepped towards the cot and Clarie trembled with fear, and Harry's happy expression broke into a cry, as if he realised the intruder wasn't his father after all. The intruder's face frowned with rage, and once again, he yelled, '_Avada Kedavra!_''

Green light filled the room, a loud bang blew off almost half of the house and Clarie couldn't help herself from screaming. Once the green light faded she forced herself to look, and through the bars she saw a black, cloaked figure lying on the floor moaning, 'no… no…'

Then a gigantic snake slid through the ruins and remains of the house, and escaped through the hole on the side of the house. The black figure on the floor started to fade, like evaporating water, and some kind of grey smoke rose from the figure floated out of the house, accompanied by a hissing, fear-bringing unknown language.

For quite a while, Clarie froze at where she was, petrified of what she had seen, and flashbacks of scenes she just saw passed through her eyes. The house was silent, she couldn't hear Harry's cry, nor her mother's kind whispers to her, nor her father's mighty laugh, she didn't know her parents has gone, gone… she thought they would approach to her any moment, comfort her …

Before long she heard heavy steps on the stairs coming up. 'No, no, James… Lily…'

Clarie quavered harder than ever. Peeping through the bars she saw the most gigantic person ever, kneeling on the floor by the cot. She couldn't hear Harry making a sound.

'Harry! There yer are, little boy… c'mon…'

'Leave my brother!'

Clarie yelled, and with great courage she stood out, her little heart determined to protect her little brother.

She saw the face of the new intruder: a face almost covered all in hair, only the eyes were to be seen. The giant was holding Harry in his arms.

'James? No, no! Lily! Clarie! Harry! '

A new voice joined, and to Clarie's relief, she knew that voice. A tall, handsome man in black sprinted into the room and shocked by the scene of the place. 'No… Lily…' he croaked.

'Sirius!' Clarie yelled with relief, ran across the room and hugged her godfather.

'Clarie!' Sirius kneeled down and held the little girl. 'What happened? What was going on here?'

Clarie did not utter a word, and instead she started off sobbing. Sirius hugged the poor kid, and turned to the giant. 'Hagrid, let me take Harry, I'm his godfather-'

'I'm sorry, Sirius,' the giant Hagrid said. 'But I came to take Harry. Dumbledore's orders, yeh must understand... '

'Then I have to take Clarie, at least, please let me take her, Hagrid…'

Hagrid hesitated. Then he said, 'Dumbledore didn't said anything about the little girl, maybe yeh can take her to a safer place… I dunno…'

'Many thanks, Hagrid,' he stood up and took Clarie. 'Take my motorcycle, Hagrid… I won't be needing it anymore…' Silent tears trailed down his face, and he took Clarie out of the house and disappeared into the dark.


	2. Chapter 1

'Wake up! Potter! Wake up!' came the familiar shrill voice of Aunt Claudia and bangings- or in a more pleasant way, knocking on the doors.

Clarie yawned and mumbled 'dumb-headed doofus' under her breath and got out of her bed.

Not a day has been a nice one for her, since eight years ago. She couldn't remember much, but only she remembered that Sirius took her to a dark, strange, scary old house and left her there. He never returned, and bunches and groups of cloaked people came round and on the very next day, she settled herself with the Chambers and yes - eight years passed by spending her days with the Chambers.

Worse still, she had nightmares - occasionally. Just like the one she had last night, her dreams are filled with green lights, explosions, a frightening snake-like white face, her mother's last screams and Harry's cryings.

She yawned and stretched herself, and once again the 'knockings' came and Aunt Claudia Chambers yelled, 'POTTER! GET OUT OF THIS ROOM AT ONCE!'

'Coming, coming…'

To be honest, the Chambers had been treating her fairly well – only that Mrs. Chambers, a tall, bony woman was strict about rules and made Clarie do all the chores, as she herself has to work all day. Uncle Casper, a paunchy man with black hair, who runs a business on car firm, never really approved the existence of Clarie in his house – at least he gave this expression to Clarie. He was reading his Daily Telegraph when Clarie entered the hall.

'Make the breakfast, girl,' barked Uncle Casper. 'And don't burn my sausages. And comb your hair before you let me see you next time.' He added, looking at Clarie's hair with great disapproval.

'Yes, sir. _Bullocks.'_

He paused with his reading. 'What did you just call me, sweetie?' Uncle Casper whispered and leaned towards Clarie, his beady eyes glinted. Usually this is a sign of danger ahead if he did this.

'Nothing. _Bul-'_

'Now that's quite enough, girl,' Aunt Claudia cut in and Clarie scowled. 'Control your manners, girl. I don't want you get kicked out of college with your unpleasant manners. We've got you a place in Stafford – '

'I told you I hate it,' scoffed Clarie. 'Pleasant school for pleasant students learning to have pleasant manners plus pleasant academic, and try to pretend I'm a lovely amity…'

'It's for your own good, girl,' said Aunt Claudia. 'And try not to start up any chaos before term starts.' She added with a slight smile.

This is something Clarie was proud of – blurring troubles and chaos. She's got warning letters and even got kicked out of school once when she was 8, for she grabbed a poor 7-year-old to guard her while she went off putting pins on teachers' chairs and sneaking nuts and chewing gums she found into students' lunch, and ran for her life with that little girl but found themselves ended up on the school roof (she couldn't explain why) after a great jump over the trash cans.

And things ended up even worse when once, she sneaked into a school laboratory for fun with all sorts of chemicals. A teacher passed by and she got caught, and she threw the little flask of chemical marked with 'irritant' towards the teacher but somehow, she couldn't explained either, it exploded by the teacher's leg. Of course, she was alive, just, and she resigned on the next day, and Clarie got expelled too.

After breakfast Clarie went to the door to collect post as usual – but what was unusual was that she got a post also. Her eyes almost popped out of her face. She re-read the address and recipient over and over again and undoubtedly this was hers.

No one's ever written her anything. She didn't even know what happened to her little brother after her parents' death, ignoring the fact this was from Harry. She even had no idea of where Sirius had gone, but clearly, in green ink it wrote:

Miss C. Potter

Dining room

5 Park View Road

Woldingham

Surrey

She returned to the dining room and found Uncle Casper and Aunt Claudia working on their computers. She handed them their post and opened her own on the coach.

'No post stealing, Potter,' said Uncle Casper. 'Hand it over, now.'

'It's my letter.'

'Your letter?' Aunt Claudia said, with an expression of disbelief. 'No one has ever sent you any letter. Now hand it over.'

With a peeved face, she handed her letter over. The Chambers stared at the address and recipient. 'Cas?' Claudia said tentatively. Uncle Casper looked deadpan, and said,' Back to your room, Potter.'

'I want my letter back.'

'You heard me.'

'I want my letter back!'

'GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM NOW, POTTER!'

She glowered at him, and stormed back into her room.

She was above herself with anger. She started to throw things around and she started to swear and shouting slangs that possibly can give a heart attack to anyone hearing. Then suddenly she heard a tap-tapping noise on the window. She saw a brown cat-like creature with wings at her window.

It was an owl, with something attached to its leg.

Why on earth would an owl appear at this time? She couldn't help wondering. It even seemed ridiculous to have a… what was that? A letter attached to its leg. Clarie opened the window and the owl, a barn owl hopped in and raised it post-attached leg to her. She untied the string and got the letter in her hand. The address read:

Miss C. Potter

Smallest bedroom

5 Park View Road

Woldingham

Surrey

Quite astounded, she ripped open her letter with trembling hands. The letter read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Clarie froze in her place for a while. Questions were bounding in her mind. School of witchcraft and wizardry? Wait for your owl? What kind of school is this anyway?

She sat on her bed with questions coming like cannon shots. Just then came a softer, gentler knock on the door than she had in the morning. 'Come in.'

Aunt Claudia opened the door, and with a slightly trembling voice she said, 'Cas is downstairs. We have something to tell you.'

They went down and see Uncle Casper sitting on the coach, with Clarie's letter in his hands. He said,' Sit down, girl.' Clarie raised her eyebrow. Anger sparked in his eyes and he unwillingly added,' Please.'

Clarie sat down, and Uncle Casper started, 'You know why you're here, girl?'

Clarie thought for a while. No one's ever told her anything why she's here, but she figured out a few things. 'I only know that I was brought here after my parents died.'

Uncle Casper waved his hands impatiently and said, 'Yes, but that's not the main point. As you see, girl, you are 11 now and people will come – maybe later this afternoon you'll be fetched back to your own place.'

'What do you mean, "my own place"?'

'You'll figure out. And yes - 'he handed Clarie back her letter,' you can take it back now.'

'I've got one upstairs.'

'Blimey, these ruddy wizards are fast, aren't they?' Uncle Casper said gruffly. 'I bet they are spying on us even now.'

'What wizard?' Clarie asked eagerly, wanting to know what she doesn't know.

'BACK TO YOUR ROOM, POTTER!' Uncle Casper roared. 'AND I WANT YOU TO GET DRESSED BEFORE YOU SEE ANYONE!'

Clarie ran back to her room with a big grin. Sometimes she has a strange interest of being ecstatic to see people annoyed by her.

She went back to her room and saw the clock still showing 7:26am. She braided her hair as usual and changed her pyjamas to a sky blue blouse and a pair of jeans. Then she took a book from her shelve randomly, and started reading carelessly, as she peered through the windows once or twice a minute, hoping to see the image of a stranger coming to the house.

Hours passed and she almost gave up hope. She threw the book back into her shelve and at 9:00am, and wondered why nobody in the house has called her to finish the chores. By 9:30 she started to have questions that were bursting her head, like _does it mean that I'm a witch? How come I am... impossible!_

One hour passed... two hours passed... she started dozing off, no longer interested in any questions appearing to her.

When it was almost twelve noon, she got fed up of waiting by the window and snuggled into her bed for a nap. Just as she were about to droll, she was woken up to full alarm with a loud bang on the front door. She almost thought she was dreaming about those horrific explosions, but she pinched herself hard and was sure it's real.

She ran downstairs enthusiastically, hoping to see something great. But she was wrong. Uncle Casper and Aunt Claudia were clutching each other's arm tightly at the corridor, staring at the door in fear. With another bang the door blast off, and a gigantic figure appeared. To Clarie's horror, she knew that face.

'ARRAGHHHH! NO!NO!'

She screamed in pure fear and ran off, but bumped right into Uncle Casper. 'What the-' he spluttered, and pushed the poor kid to his wife, as he see the giant entered the house. This giant has his face almost covered in long, shaggy mane of hair completely and a wild, tangled beard, and the only thing you can make out was almost only his beetle-black eyes and nose.

'Sorry for the door, Chambers,' the giant grumbled and he took up the door on the floor easily like holding a clipboard, and forced it back to the doorpost.

Clarie, still in shock and was trembling in Aunt Claudia's embrace by then. 'Yeh've grown up a lot, Claire. Last time I saw yeh, yeh were still just a tiny little tot, yeh were.' The giant said. 'An' yeh resembles yer mother so much, Claire, except fer yer eyes.'

'Don't talk to me, you monster!' Clarie shouted, in a mixture of rage and fear. 'Where is my brother now?'

'Identify yourself, sir!' Uncle Casper shouted with rage. 'Or you will be accused of breaking and entering!'

'Yeh've got a point, Chambers. Right, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts,' the giant said.

'Hogwarts, eh?' Aunt Claudia said, comforting Clarie. 'I thought they'd find someone with better manners and not scaring children before sending them to this school!'

The giant Hagrid ignored her words, and went straight to the living room. He sat on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, took a pink umbrella out of his pocket and lit a fire just by pointing it to the fireplace. The Chambers stared with bewilderment while Clarie, though, was rather surprised at the act. 'I've seen this before!' she exclaimed. 'I saw it - my mom used to wave a stick and conjures flames out of nowhere. How did you manage to do that?'

Hagrid chuckled. 'That's because yeh mother, like yer, was a witch, of course she could do it, though it was a wand, not stick. In fact, your whole family are all wizards. You probably can do it later, when yeh've learned magic properly.'

'I'm a what?'

'A witch, Claire, a witch. Haven't yeh noticed yeh've done something extraordinary but couldn't explain why?'

Of course she did. She jumped over a trash can but found herself on school's rooftop. She once made another girl accusing her of bullying grew some strange poxes (definitely not chicken pox) on her face, without knowing how.

'Then, can you conjure orange smoke?' She said hopefully, as she started to recall what her parents used to do with their – well, wands.

Hagrid waved his pink umbrella and sent out orange smoke. He said nervously when the smoke faded, 'Just don' tell anyone I did that; I'm not supposed to do so.'

She didn't care. She knew it – memories and flashbacks of her early childhood, and she remembered what her parents had done with their wands to work, or amuse her.

'Where's my brother, um – sir?' she said abruptly, as she suddenly remembered he was the one who took Harry away.

'Call me Hagrid,' he said, and he went slightly pink at the next sentence. 'Can't tell yeh,' he said, with an air of mysterious. 'Yeh'll see him, two years later, I guess. He'll start school by then.'

Clarie sat down on the sofa with disappointment, but she knew her brother was somehow safe – at least she believed what Hagrid said.

'So,' he stood up, with a bump on the ceiling. 'Yeh've got yer letter?'

'Yes,' she said, taking out the parchment envelope in her pocket.

'Good,' he said, and rubbed his trash can cover sized hands. 'Put it back into yer pocket and let's go, Claire. We've got loads to do today!'

'Um, it's Clarie, actually, not Claire. Cla-rie.'

He was about to take Clarie's hand, who was over the moon and eager to go when Uncle Casper shouted, 'Wait! You can't go!'

Hagrid squinted his eyes at Uncle Casper and said, 'Why can't I go, yeh big Muggle?'

'Muggle?' Clarie said with an edge of interest.

'Meaning non-magic fellas, like the two o' 'em,' he said, and he pointed the Chambers with his umbrella, which they stared at with fear, as if Hagrid was pointing a highly dangerous cannon at them.

'So,' Hagrid said. 'As I was saying, we've got loads to pick up fer yer new school year! C'mon Clarie, let's go.'

Clarie took his hand and they strode towards the door. 'We'll not be paying this girl to this whatever crazy school.' Aunt Claudia called with a trembling voice. 'She can go if she can afford the fees herself. We'll never pay for her.'

Hagrid opened the damaged door, which fell down onto the floor. 'Yeh mark my word, Chambers,' Hagrid said. 'If she's goin' it'd do yeh more good than bad.'

And he stepped out of the house with Clarie and slammed the door back to the doorpost.

'So...' Clarie started. 'Where will we pick up my stuff?'

'London, of course.'


	3. Chapter 2

**This is a long chapter... hope everyone will enjoy!**

* * *

><p>People sharing the same train compartment with Hagrid and Clarie must be having an extraordinary day. Hagrid, who was larger than usual people, occupied two seats and kept pointing around and telling Clarie about how funny the muggles design things and how dreadful their things are and how they managed without magic and etcetera.<p>

When they almost arrived at London, Hagrid said, 'Do yeh still have yer letter, Clarie?'

'Yes,' she said, as she took out the envelope, just to sure it was still there.

'Good,' said Hagrid. 'There's a list of what yeh'll need.'

Clarie took out another piece of parchment she didn't noticed. She unfolded it read:

_HOWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

Uniform

_First-year students will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes(black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 _by Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them _by Newt Scamander_

A Brief Theory of Dark Magic _by Jennifer Norton_

Other Equipment

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

'We can buy all these in London?' Clarie asked.

'O' course,' Hagrid said, as they stepped off the train. 'And people of our world will be so excited when they see you!'

'Why would they be?' Clarie asked, and jogging in order to catch up with Hagrid's large steps.

'Yeh don' know?' Hagrid said, unbelievably. 'Blimey, I forgot – yeh were famous, probably just next to yer brother, since the day yeh and Harry were taken out.'

'Why?' Clarie said, sounding excited, as she wanted to know all the details – why she was sent to the Chambers, why her parents died, what exactly happened to her and Harry and why was she famous.

'Yeh'll know, some day' was the simple reply from Hagrid.

Clarie has never been to London, as Aunt Claudia and Uncle Casper left her at home every time they go. She was fascinated: she's never seen any city like this, with people crowded everywhere, so many high-rise buildings and blazing stores with fabulous items for sell. But none of them seemed to be for selling cauldrons or wands.

Hagrid hurried through the astounded people around staring at him, and Clarie had to run to catch up with him so fast that she was panting when he finally stop in front of a big book shop. 'Here we are,' Hagrid said. 'The Leaky Cauldron.'

Clarie was about to argue that there's no sign of any place called The Leaky Cauldron when she finally made out a small, dark store on the right of the gigantic, bright bookstore, with a small tag tagged 'The Leaky Cauldron'. Judging by the passer-bys, Clarie could almost be sure no one except she and Hagrid could see the place.

'C'mon, Clarie, I'm starving. Let's get lunch first before we started shopping.' Hagrid said, as he pushed open the wooden door and entered it.

It was a dark, shabby and grubby-looking pub. A few young women dressing in strange-looking robes were at the bar table enjoying glass of what seemed like champagne. Two men were sitting at a round table talking loudly with two large bottles of what appeared to be whisky. An old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him when he and Clarie went to another circular table for a seat. A few young women casted Clarie a strange sight of mild interest.

'Something for lunch, Hagrid?' the barman came to their table with a menu.

Hagrid took a look and handed it to Clarie. Clarie thought for a while and said, 'a set C please.'

'A set B for me, and a bottle of Butterbeer. Please hurry, Tom. We have loads ter buy for Clarie.'

'So this is Clarie?' Tom the barman asked, and shook Clarie's hand warmly. 'Pleasure to meet you, Clarie. Is this your first time to our world? Um, Miss...'

'Yes! It's my first time here. Your pub is absolutely fascinating!' she said enthusiastically, as she took a glance around the place. To many witches and wizards it appeared to be a normal, old and shabby dark pub, but at sight of the self-working utensils and magically working stuff amazed Clarie.

'Well, then, welcome to our world, Clarie,' Tom said. 'Your dishes will be here in a moment!'

Tom hurried back to his working place, and waved what appeared to be his wand and some frying pans, food started to work on their own and cooked their dishes. Clarie's jaw dropped open when a freshly grilled steak was placed on the table in front of her, sending her a fainting appealing scent, as she just realised how hungry she was.

'Slow it down, little tiger, I can't send yeh to St Mungo's now,' Hagrid said.

'St- um, Mungo's?' she asked with her mouth filled with the appetizing meal.

'That's our hospital. I don't want to send yeh in with a belly ache!'

'Of course I don't want to, Hagrid. Oh, I just can't wait to start school!'

'Speaking of Hogwarts, Hagrid, I heard Claire Potter is starting this year, or am I mistaken?' Tom said as he came with a bottle appeared to be the butterbeer Hagrid ordered for.

'Well, to clarify, she's actually Cla-rie Potter. I guess we've all been mistaken for years,' Hagrid said as he gulped down a large mouthful of beer.

The pub went dead silence and everyone turned towards them.

A young witch said, 'You're pulling our legs, aren't you, Hagrid? We thought the Daily Prophet was making a typing mistake only.'

'Even so, are you saying _this_ little girl here is actually Clarie Potter?' a man asked.

'She is,' Hagrid said, and patted on Clarie's back, who had stopped wolfing down the dish placed before her. 'Clarie Potter, say a hi ter everyone.'

'Huh?' she stared at Hagrid unbelievably. She set down her fork and cleared her throat and said, 'Um, hi, everyone. My name's Clarie Potter.'

Suddenly Tom grabbed her hand and shook vigorously and said, 'Welcome back, Miss Potter, welcome back!'

'You see? I told you!' a witch ran up to Clarie and squeaked ecstatically, and studied deeply at Clarie's face, making her a little uncomfortable. 'She looks just like the replica of Lily, as if they were twins. Yes, yes, I can't be anymore mistaken, you look a great deal like your mother, except for your eyes. You have your father's big, black eyes.'

Clarie recalled her bits and pieces of her memories of her parents.

Then after thirty minutes Hagrid paid the bill with some strange-looking golden coins from his pocket – that's when Clarie realised his cloak was made of pockets - and went to the back of the bar, and a few people shook hands with Clarie for one last time.

Then they went into the walled courtyard at the back of the bar. Hagrid started to count bricks. 'Three up... two across... right, stand back, Clarie.'

He tapped the brick thrice and the wall withered – it wriggled – in the middle, a small hole appeared and it grew bigger as the bricks wheeled around to make way for them.

'Welcome,' Hagrid said, with a grin on his face when he saw Clarie's amazed face. 'To Diagon Alley.'

They stepped out into the street and immediately the bricks wheeled around and turned back into a solid wall. Then Clarie was preoccupied by the scene she was at: a long path it was, with blazing shops selling the most extraordinary things, such as Potage's Cauldron Shop, which displays a wide range of cauldron of all sizes and all materials (except from wood), Magical Menagerie that you can hear strange noise from toads' croaking to cats purring, and so much more shops that she almost couldn't resist from the tempt of running into each and every shop for a look first.

Suddenly she was drawn back to reality by a thought and she said, 'But I haven't got any money, Hagrid: Aunt Claudia said she won't pay for me.'

'She did say that,' Hagrid agreed. 'But don't yeh think that yer parents hadn't leave yeh a thing?'

They headed to a marble building at the end of the street. 'This is Gringotts,' Hagrid said. 'Wizard bank, run by goblins.'

'Goblins?'

'Yes, and don' try to mess with 'em, goblins. They are nasty creatures, but they run this bank quite well – in fact, it was probably the safest place to keep things, maybe except Hogwarts.' Hagrid said, and they went up the stairs. They passed through a bronze double-door and saw it: it must be a goblin, about a head shorter than Clarie with a mean-looking face with goat beard and very long fingers. He bowed, though not looking sincerely with a most nasty grin Clarie had ever seen. Hagrid opened a second pair of double-doors, this time with a poem engraved on the golden surface:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn,_

_So if you seek beneath our floors, _

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure here_

The goblin opened the door, bowed again and said in a nastily, drawling voice, 'Please enter.'

Clarie, dreadful of the horrific manners of the goblin, kicked him when she passed by him, with a winning grin. The goblin, however, shot her an unforgivable look and a horrific smile and snapped his finger towards her. At once, Clarie heard a sizzling sound, like something was on fire and she felt a burning hot sensation on her back accompanied by a scent of burned cloth, and immediately she realised her back was on fire.

'Hagrid!' she squealed as lightly as possible, hoping no one realised, but most goblins in the place turned and stared at her, all wearing a mocking smile. Hagrid saw the blouse on fire and sent some water with his umbrella and put off the flames. But he didn't succeed in mending the blouse, leaving a brown hole on the blouse.

'I've told ya, don' mess with the goblins,' he mumbled, as he was kneeling down to check if she's hurt.

'I hate their manners,' she muttered. 'Those ungrateful, disgusting, cut-throat creat-'

'Yeh best shut your mouth before yeh got yourself into more trouble,' Hagrid whispered, and Clarie saw two goblins passing by gave her a nastily disgusted and angry look.

They reached an empty counter with an old goblin sitting by the table. 'Good afternoon,' said Hagrid. 'We've come ter take some money outta Miss Clarie Potter's safe.'

'You have her key, sir?'

'Got it here somewhere,' said Hagrid, searching over his pockets and finally he found a golden little key in a pocket near his big belly. 'Ahh, here it is.'

He handed the key over to the goblin. The goblin examined it and said, 'That seems to be in order. Alright, oi! Grawnuts!'

Another goblin came to the counter and the first one said, 'Take the two customers down to their vault.'

Clarie gave a little fake cough which sounded oddly like 'Gone nuts!' the goblin stared up at her and his long, thin fingers ready to snap when Clarie shot him a if-you-set-me-on-fire-I-will-kick-you-out look. The goblin forced his thin lips into a terrible smile and led them into a place, strongly reminding Clarie of a coal-mining cave. Grawnuts whistled and what looked like a coal mining cart came towards them on the railway not far away. Hagrid managed to squeeze himself into a seat and Clarie hopped in with Grawnuts. Then the cart sped off without warning.

Clarie saw many crossroads on the way, but as though the cart can think itself and drove straight into one of the rails whenever it comes across such a situation. She looked back and found Hagrid looking rather green as if he was going to throw up any minute, but Clarie was beside herself with excitement and joy.

When they finally stopped beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid stumbled onto the ground and threw up into the endless depths of the cave. The goblin wrinkled his nose at Hagrid in disgust. Finally when he was done he handed the key to the goblin. Grawnuts stabbed the key into the keyhole and turned, and he pushed open the little door.

She couldn't believe her eyes: she saw mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze coins.

'They're all yers,' said Hagrid, looking pale but better than before. 'All yers and yer brother's'

Hagrid took out what appeared to be a money bag and started to help Clarie to shove coins into the bag. 'The golden coins are Galleons,' he explained. 'Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle. Easy enough to remember. Now do yeh mind to drive slower later?' He said to Grawnuts, who was closing the vault door. 'One speed only,' he said, with a nasty winning grin. 'And please don't vomit all over the place next time.'

After another crazy roller coaster-like cart ride, Clarie almost begged for another ride but Hagrid looked like he was going to throw up again.

When they got out of Gringotts Hagrid said, 'Listen, Clarie, I'm not feeling quite well and I think I'd better get myself a drink. Would you mind go to Flourish and Blotts to buy yer books first?'

'Great!' Clarie said happily. She hopped along the road into a bookstore marked 'Flourish and Blotts'.

If you ask how Flourish and Blotts looked like, it's probably a paradise for bookworms, and even people don't read much will probably go wild when they see the fantastic books. Clarie enter the store and soon got her eyes glued to a book called _Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more)_ by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

'Hello,' came a voice from Clarie's back when she was silently following the books instructions of performing a Full-Body Bind curse, which she almost jumped. 'Are you going to Hogwarts this year too?'

A pale boy, about half a head shorter than Clarie with mousey grey hair and with arrogant expression said. He was holding a big pile of books, all necessities of a first-year in Hogwarts. 'Yes, I am,' Clarie replied, with an edge of annoyance. She hated people disturbing her while reading.

'Wow, what's this book you're reading?' he asked and without asking for permission he snatched Clarie's book from her grip. 'Wow! This is really awesome! Would you mind to get yourself another copy? I want this.'

He reminded Clarie strongly of the popular girls in every school she had been in, being boastful and arrogant, as if they were the queen bee of a bee's have.

'What about,' Clarie snatched the book back and said, 'you get yourself another copy and stop sticking your nose into other's business?'

'Sorry to disturb you,' he blushed slightly, but he didn't seem sorry at all. 'But this book sounds really amazing! I can't wait to learn of its spells- just wait till you see me hexing those filthy little muggles at school!'

_That sounded disgusting,_ Clarie thought. To be honest she did thought of hexing others, but never targeting at a specific group of people, such as muggles. And she even doubted if she were a muggle-born herself.

'Um, I have to get a few books over... there,' she said and pointed to some random stack of books. 'If you don't mind I would like to excuse myself.' And she squeezed herself through the crowds with a good reason to get away.

Clarie would be pleased if she can kick him like she did to the goblin in Gringotts, but she learnt a lesson of not to piss anyone off easily in this world. Quickly and swiftly she got her necessities plus the copy of Curses and Counter Curses and paid for them.

She stepped out of the store with a big sack of books when she saw Hagrid striding toward her, looking much better than in Gringotts. 'Hello, Clarie, bought all yer books already?' he said. Clarie shook her big sack and they went to another shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. 'Hogwarts, dear?' she said, when Clarie went towards her. 'Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.'

Clarie followed her to the back of her shop as she hoped the boy Madam Malkin mentioned wasn't the boy she met in Flourish and Blotts. Luckily he wasn't, instead he was a boy with dark skin and dreadlocks, wearing a smile when she stood on the stool next to him. 'Are you starting Hogwarts this year?' he said, as Madam Malkin started to slip a long robe on her and began to pin at the right place.

'Yes,' she replied, without further taunting him as he wasn't disturbing her nor as hateful as the boy back in the bookstore.

'Have you been to Gambol and Japes Joke Store here? My mother has been telling me about how fabulous their goods are, and I can't wait to go there! Are you coming too?'

Clarie did not know much, but she understood the word 'joke shop'. 'I'd love to come!' she said. 'But...'

She turned to Hagrid at her back, and looked at him with a pair of lovely puppy dog pleading eyes. 'Well,' said Hagrid. 'Yeh may have a look in there, but we have to finish all yer shopping first.'

Clarie grinned widely and Madam Malkin said, 'That's you done, my dear. And by the way, did you realise that you got a hole burnt on the back of your shirt?'

'Yeah, I got it burnt in Gringotts,' Clarie replied, and tried to hide her back from the boy trying to get a peek with a playful smile. '_Reparo,' _Madam Malkin waved her wand and said, and Clarie touched her back and the blouse felt perfect, with no holes. 'Thank you, Madam Malkin,' Clarie said gratefully, as she went to the cashier to purchase for her uniform.

'Well, see you at Hogwarts!' the boy yelled, and Clarie yelled back, 'See ya! Bye!'

No one had ever been this friendly to her, for she was too boyish to get along well in any girl's school. Aunt Claudia never allowed her to go to co-ed schools, and no one had ever approved or shared the interest of joking and being playful.

Their next stop was Potage's Cauldron shop. Clarie wanted so much to buy a set of shiny silver cauldron, but Hagrid said she needed pewter on her list. But they got her a nice set of scales for weighting ingredients and a collapsible telescope with elegant carves and linings on it. Then they headed for the apothecary's, where Clarie bought a set of basic ingredients for a first-year student.

'An' now yer wand left only,' Hagrid said as they left the apothecary's. 'Oh, and I forgot – yer birthday present!'

Clarie blushed a bit and said, 'Thank you, Hagrid, but I had my birthday in April already.'

Hagrid waved his hands and said, 'Doesn't matter, yeh can see this as a starting school present. I expect yeh didn't get much from the Chambers, though they seemed better than the Dursleys ("who the hell are the Dursleys?" Clarie thought). Anyway, I'm goin' ter get yeh a pet. Not a toad, yeh'll get teased – they're outta date now. I don' like cats either, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl, they're dead useful, they can carry post fer yeh an' everything.'

Twenty minutes later, Clarie came out of Eeylops Owl Emporium with a beautiful eagle owl with fierce yellow eyes. She got so ecstatic that she was saying, 'Thank you, Hagrid; thank you!' all the way.

'It's nothing,' Hagrid waved. 'Now it's left ter Ollivanders fer yer wand – he sells the best in Britain.'

A wand... that's what Clarie was really longing for.

They entered a narrow and shabby shop and a bell rang as they stepped in. It was a tiny place, and almost every inch of the place was filled with shelves with boxes of wands, except for a counter and a spindly chair. Clarie glanced around, suddenly behaving like a 'normal little good girl' as she would describe, as if she entered a strict library where she wouldn't want to piss anyone off.

'Good afternoon,' said a soft voice. Clarie jumped, and Hagrid must have jumped to, because there was a loud thump and the ground shook.

An old man with wide, pale eyes who appeared to be Mr Ollivander stood before them.

'Hello,' said Clarie awkwardly.

'Ah yes,' Mr Ollivander said. 'I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Miss Potter. You inherited your father's eyes. It seems like he came into my shop yesterday, he bought a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. Great to use on transfiguration.' Clarie blinked and tried to recall what her father's wand looked like.

'Your mother, on the other hand, whom you resembles her so much, was chosen by a willow wand. Ten and a quarter inches. A swishy wand it was, nice wand for charm work.'

Mr Ollivander had come so close that their noses almost collided. Clarie could see her anxious reflection in his misty eyes.

'Unfortunately, I'm afraid it was also one of my wands that torn your family apart. Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. A powerful wand it was, but its master killed so many people with it... I must say I'd not sell it if only I knew it would do such things...'

'Well, anyway, let's begin,' said Mr Ollivander. He pulled out a long tape with silver markings out of his pocket. 'Which is your wand arm?'

'Erm, I'm right-handed,' said Clarie.

Mr Ollivander took a piece of parchment and a quill out as he let go of the tape. The tape, then started measuring Clarie from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. Mr Ollivander simply marked down the lengths whenever it gave him a result.

Then he took back the tape and stuffed it back into his pocket. Bring the marked parchment, he started searching the shelves and said, 'Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful substance, Miss Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feather and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, phoenixes or dragons are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results using another wizard's wand, unless you win their loyalty.'

'This will do,' he said, coming back with a pile of boxes of wands in his hands. 'Try this, Miss Potter – maple with dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, flexible.'

Clarie waved the wand hard, with so much effort that can possibly knock down a person. But Mr Ollivander said, 'No, no, not this one. Try this, Miss Potter – maple and unicorn hair, ten and a quarter inches, hard. And you can wave lighter.'

Clarie blushed, and she took the wand and gave another little wave. Mr Ollivander snatched back the wand and said, 'No, no, definitely not this. Yes, maybe... why not give a try on this one, Miss Potter – hazel and phoenix feather, twelve and a quarter inches, springy.'

Clarie felt rather foolish but was quite overwhelmed with surprise when she felt a sudden warmth in his fingers and produced a shower of gold and red sparks when she waved it.

'Oh, bravo, bravo!' Mr Ollivander cried, and put Clarie's wand into its box and wrapped it in brown paper. 'Here, Miss Potter, your wand.'

He handed Clarie her wand and Clarie paid seven galleons for it.

When they left Ollivanders' shop the sun was setting. Hagrid insisted on not going to Gambol and Japes ('Yeh still have ter go back to the Chambers, yeh know,' said Hagrid), but he bought her an ice cream (vanilla and chocolate with a cherry and sparks) and a fire whiskey for himself. However, Clarie recalled her experience back in Flourish and Blotts about the arrogant blonde boy.

'Hagrid, do people at school normally like to hex muggles?' she could help from asking.

Hagrid choked at the word. 'What are yeh sayin', Clarie?' he said.

'I met a boy at Flourish and Blotts, and he told me he wanted to hex muggles at school.'

'Don' listen ter him, Clarie. Some people are just this arrogant. Some were even haughty enough to call themselves pure-blood, if their family were all wizards and witches.'

'So I'm a...'

'Yeh're a half-blood, Clarie. Yer father's a pure wizard and yer mother was from a muggle family. But that didn't stop her from bein' made the Head Girl in her glorious days.'

'I'm a half-blood?'

'Yes, Clarie. And there's nothing to be shameful about, just be yourself,' Hagrid said, taking a big gulp of his whiskey. 'Yer father, however, is not as obedient as yer mother. Used to break rules, starting chaos and makin' fun of people with his little gang. And yeh remind me of James.'

They walked silently along Diagon Alley back into The Leaky Cauldron, where it was empty except for Tom at the bar table washing up and humming a song softly. He bowed again to Clarie when he saw her and said, 'Wish you a jolly school year, Miss Potter!'

They managed to get tickets for the train, which was quite an uneasy task to do at peak hours, especially for Hagrid that he occupied more space than people usually does.

Then when they were walking silently on a dark road back to the Chambers. Clarie finally asked, 'Hagrid, what am I so famous for?'

Hagrid hesitated. 'Long story,' he said. 'yeh remember the night I took your brother away?'

'Yeah, of course,' she said, and her brows knitted together – she hated to mention the sad yet terrifying event. She had shadowed memories of her childhood, and, she couldn't be sure whether it was to her luck, she's forgotten most except that incident. 'Can we don't talk about that event?'

'I can' if yeh want ter know,' Hagrid said gently. Clarie scowled a bit but remained silent. 'Yeh know better than I do probably, fer yeh were the only witness for that big event – the event fer bringing a wizarding war to an end.

'Now, let's see… yer parents, Lily an' James Potter were killed by You-Know-Who-'

'You-Know-Who?' Clarie said. 'That ugly white-faced prat who murdered my parents?'

'Don' say that, please, don'. Yeh see, You-Know-Who was a Dark Wizard – a clever man he was, but gone bad when he had his hands on Dark Magic.

'He did great things, yeh can't say he didn't, but also terrifying, including the murder of yer parents.'

They turned at a crossroad into Park View Road. 'What is his name exactly, Hagrid? Why do you call him You-Know-Who?' Clarie asked.

'Well – I don' like saying the name if I can help it,' he said.

'Um, you can spell it out to me if you don't want to say it,' Clarie said. 'Please, Hagrid, I want to know.'

'No, I don' spell much, nor his name,' he said, but he gave in making excuses when he saw Clarie's pleading face. 'Alright, his name was – eh – _Voldemort_.' He shuddered and looked around nervously as if he was afraid someone would throw things at him for he said that.

'So,' Clarie said. 'Voldemort killed – '

'DON' SAY HIS NAME!'

'Sorry,' Clarie apologized, and her eagle owl hooted angrily for Hagrid shouted. 'So, You-Know-Who killed my parents. What happened to him then?'

'He then tried to murder your little brother also, you should've remembered. But he failed and a scar was left on yer brother's head. Some people said he died afterwards. But I don' think so,' Hagrid said. 'He kind of disappeared or something, I believe. You must know what happened the most, Clarie. You are the only witness to that scene. That's why yer so famous. Yer brother was called 'The Boy Who Lived'. Yeh're The One Who Witnessed. Yeh two were the only ones whom You-Know-Who failed to kill.'

They walked in silence and thinking before Hagrid said, 'That's yeh here.' He handed Clarie back her school stuff. 'Well – enjoy yer holidays. And this is yer train ticket to school. First o' September – King's Cross – it's all on yer ticket. If yeh have any problems, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me. So… see yeh in September.'

'Bye,' she said, as she knocked on the brand-new door. Aunt Claudia opened the door, looking at her (including her boxes and bags) in both disgust and fear. She let Clarie enter the house and told her to go back to her room shortly.

That's when Clarie realised the Chambers feared her magical abilities actually. Then she realised Hagrid got one thing right – she was going to enjoy her vacations this year.


	4. Chapter 3

Clarie's remaining month with the Chambers was somehow half-enjoyable. Aunt Claudia only called her to clean up once or twice a week only. They didn't talk much to her, and whenever they were pissing her off she'd say, 'I want to have a bit more of practise on my tongue-tying curse. It can probably shut anyone up.'

As for her eagle owl, she decided to call her Artemis. Luckily Aunt Claudia didn't fuss around much, although Artemis had been bringing in dead mice and frog she caught.

She spent most of her time in her own room, reading, self-learning charms, jinxes and curses, but she didn't made much progress, with only able to make things in her room lifted up for a little while without touching them and fix some broken things like Madam Malkin did to her blouse, although, just minor stuff. The only true triumph was that she was able to perform a Tongue-tying curse, only that poor Artemis was her victim to try her curses on.

Once when she was cleaning up after supper in the pantry, she heard something from Aunt Claudia: "...getting more and more like James, I must say, the same little prankster..."

She suddenly stayed alert and couldn't refrain herself from peering over the door and eavesdropping the couple. The two, however, realised that and simply said, "Return to your work, Potter. And go back to your room straightaway afterwards."

It was the last day of August already before she realised. That night she decided to speak to the Chambers about getting to King's Cross station.

'Erm, Uncle Casper?' she started tentatively.

He grunted. Clarie assumed he was listening.

'I have to go to school by train at King's Cross station tomorrow. Can you give me a lift?'

He said nothing.

'Please?'

'Alright, then. And would you kindly ask your school whether you can stay there for the rest of the year, this house's been in a complete mess with packs of owls and owl droppings all over the roof.'

The next morning Clarie got so excited that she woke up at five o'clock. She put on her jeans and the blouse she wore to Diagon Alley, instead of the school robes in order not to make herself a fool in front of packs of muggles, and tied her long, deep red hair into her usual plait. Then she triple-checked her stuff, making sure that all her books and clothes are in her trunk, Artemis well-locked in her cage and her wand and ticket in her pocket.

For the first time she took a careful look of her ticket. It wrote that the Hogwarts Express departs on platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock.

She realised something was wrong when she stuffed her ticket back in her pocket. _Platform nine and three-quarters? _She thought. _Where on earth is this ruddy platform?_

She started cursing herself for being stupid not to take a look of it first. She thought of sending Artemis to Hagrid, but when she came back with a reply the Hogwarts Express had probably gone.

She strode in her room nervously, thinking of all possible ways to get herself on this unknown platform. But two hours later the Chambers has woken up and after another ten minutes, they got all the things packed on Uncle Casper's car, Clarie and Uncle Casper went to King's Cross station with Aunt Claudia staying behind.

'So,' Uncle Casper started after ten minutes of dead silence. 'Which platform are you going on?'

'Urm,' Clarie hesitated. 'Platform nine... platform ten... now don't ask me,' she said, rolling her eyes when she saw Uncle Casper's frowning face. 'The ticket says it's platform nine and three-quarters.'

Uncle Casper stepped on the brake so fiercely that the running car stopped instantly, and the driver behind hooted his car horn angrily. 'THERE'S NO SUCH STATION THERE!' Uncle Casper yelled. 'You – girl – stop talking nonsense or we'll drive straight back. I MEAN IT, POTTER!'

'Well, go on and give a try!' she said casually. 'I can manage a leg-locker curse now, but not really successful in removing it. Besides,' she smiled widely. 'What would Hagrid think if I don't arrive?'

Uncle Casper gulped hard. Clearly he was thinking of the extraordinary strength Hagrid had and their 'unusual' magical powers.

They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Casper dumped Clarie's trunk and Artemis with her cage on the entrance, which made him received a painful nib from an angry Artemis.

'So – platform nine and platform ten,' he pointed at two platforms with an uninjured finger, rubbing his injured finger furiously. 'Find your way to get on that ruddy platform.'

He returned to his car and drove off. Clarie loaded her stuff onto a trolley and started patrolling along platform nine and ten. She dared not to ask anyone, for she hated to make herself a fool. By nine forty-five she almost lost all hope, and she started to make approximate madly calculations on where the third quarter on platform nine was.

At the moment she decided to give up a group of people passed by, and she caught a few words of what they were saying.

'- muggles everywhere, we'd better hurry - '

Clarie swung around. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to five boys and a little girl, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trolley with trunks on it, and one of them even got a rat.

Heart hammering, Clarie pushed her trolley with a ray of hope and followed the family.

The little group of people stopped at a ticket barrier between platform nine and platform ten. 'Hurry, Charlie, you go first or you'd be late,' the plump woman said hastily.

The boy, the eldest boy of the little crowd ran towards the ticket barrier with his trolley and suddenly, he vanished as if he was melted into it.

Clarie shook her head and focused hard – it really happened – but how could it be?

'Percy, hurry!' the plump woman urged. The second eldest brother strode towards it, and once again, he disappeared.

She couldn't believe her eyes. But she stepped forward and said, 'Excuse me, Madam, may I ask...'

'Hello, dear,' she said. 'First year in Hogwarts? Fred and George are new too.'

She pointed at a pair of twins, both not too tall and wide-built and looked at around Clarie's age.

'Sorry, but we're in a hurry, as you see, it's eleven fifty-five already,' the woman said. 'Maybe you can follow Fred and George, simply run towards and through the barrier. It's perfectly safe, dear.' She added when she saw the anxious look on Clarie.

'Remember to go through the third quarter -' the first twin said with a grin.

'George!' the woman shrieked.

'Or you'll bump if you go through the middle,' the second twin finished his brother's line.

'Really – boys – _we'll be late!'_ the woman shouted. 'Go, now, the two of you – you can follow them, my dear.'

The twins vanished into the ticket barrier. She knew she had not much time left, and with a deep breath she started to run towards the barrier. When she was about to crash into the barrier she suddenly felt a twinge of fear to crash into solid wall, but then, as if running through a black tunnel, she ran into what looks like King's Cross station, but the sign there now read _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Hogwarts Express_, with a scarlet steam engine train in the railways.

'All aboard!' a voice shouted. Quickly she unloaded the contents of her trolley and entered the train. The compartments at the front were already full, with people still crowding there and fighting for seats.

She passed through compartments, and only managed to find the last compartment had only the boy she met in Madam Malkin's standing on his seat, trying to force his trunk onto the luggage shelf.

'Here, I'll help you,' she said, as she entered the compartment with her luggage and owl. With great effort they managed to push the trunk into a corner, and Clarie's trunk to the other, both panting on their seats right on their seats opposite to each other.

'Aren't you the girl I met in Madam Malkin's?' the boy said, as he took a good look on Clarie.

'Excellent memory, I am,' she said.

The boy moved his head sideways as if he wanted to sneak a peek on Clarie's back.

'Urgh, you are such a dirty lust,' Clarie said, as if she could read his mind. 'There're no holes on my shirt. Madam Malkin mended it, remember?'

'That's right, I forgot,' he said with an embarrassing smile. 'By the way, did I mention you are the coolest girl I've ever seen?'

'Why?' Clarie said, quite astounded at the comment.

'Well, I suppose, girls seldom swear.'

'So that's the reason?' she almost laughed out. 'I hate to pretend I'm an affected, niminy-piminy chit.'

'Oh, I haven't introduced myself,' the boy said when trying to hold back a laugh. 'I'm Lee, Lee Jordan.'

'And I'm Clarie Potter. Nice to meet you.'

'Clarie Potter? Blimey, I almost thought you're Claire Potter. You have close names,' he commented.

'Actually about that... I think that's more than a typing mistake,' she said tentatively, hoping not to appear as too much of a boastful, arrogant kid, or any way stupid. 'The name really DID spell c-l-a-r-i-e, and it is read as Cla-rie.'

'Bloody hell,' Lee murmured. 'I never assumed that...'

'What?' Clarie said.

'I'd ever share the same compartment with Claire Potter. I mean, Clarie Potter.'

'Well, you are now.'

'And I never thought she's a swearing girl.'

'I appreciate your praise,' Clarie said, and they giggled.

'So,' Lee started. 'Did you go to Gambol and Japes' that day?'

'Nah, not a chance. Hagrid said it was too late when we finished buying my stuff,' Clarie said with a mournful look. 'I really wanted to go, it sounded fabulous from you.'

'It was!' Lee said, and he stood on his seat and dug his hands into his trunk and searched for something.

'There you go,' he threw something what looked like a firework onto Clarie's lap. 'Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. You can try to set it off.'

'Wet-start and no heat?' Clarie said, as she examined the firework carefully. 'Do you mean I have to spill water on it?'

'Ten points to Miss Potter for she got it right,' Lee laughed. Clarie pulled a water bottle out of her trunk and poured some onto the little firework stick.

The effect was immediate. The firework zoomed out of her hand and exploded with a 'BOOM!'. Then from the fireball of explosion a thousand smaller sparks with all kinds of colours appeared and zoomed around the compartment, each spark multiplied into a smaller one and joined the others and form different patterns, from a Father Christmas, to two moving little elves. Soon the compartment was filled with sparks, like stars hovering over their heads.

'Oh, no,' Lee said worriedly, as a few sparks were hitting the windows. 'We'd better open the window and let them go, or we'll be burned like roasted pigs, or they might blast the compartment apart.'

'Why not the door?' Clarie said happily, as she forced the door open. Immediately the sparks flew out of their compartment and zoomed everywhere, and they heard screams of people down in the corridor, and a few yelps of pain.

'Uh-oh,' Lee said, as they saw a few figures strode towards their compartment after three minutes when all sparks were cleared. 'We're in so much trouble.'

Four people came into their compartment. Clarie recognised them – they were four of the six red-haired brothers she met at the entrance to platform nine and three-quarters. 'You are first-years, right?' the one who seemed to be the eldest said. 'This time I'm not going to report to the teachers, but you mark my word that no more fireworks are allowed on the train.'

'No, Charlie, you should tell the teachers!' another boy argued. 'You're a prefect! You have the duty to do so!'

'Nib it, Perce, he's the one to decide, not you,' one of the twins said, nodding towards Charlie the prefect.

'Yeah, and you can give her as much detention to them as you like when you are one,' the other twin chanted.

'Though it's not very likely to happen - '

'Nor we'll let you give them detentions - '

'Unless you favour the teacher so much that they are willing to give you a badge.'

'Oh, shut up, you two,' the second boy said angrily, blushing and gave the twins a disgusted look.

'They've got a point anyway, Percy,' Charlie the prefect said, and Percy scowled even more. 'I'm the one to decide, and I think it's just first-years don't know the rules. Next time don't do it again.' He added warningly to Lee and Clarie.

The brothers left the compartment, though the twins stayed behind and sat on both sides by Clarie and Lee.

'That was close, huh?' the boy beside Clarie said, grinning from ear to ear.

'Well, we're lucky enough not to get expelled before we even arrived,' said Lee, with a big sigh of relief.

'We haven't even introduced ourselves. This is George and I'm Fred,' the twin right opposite to Clarie said.

'I'm Lee Jordan and this is Clarie Potter.'

The twins gasped.

'You mean... Claire Potter?' George said tentatively, taking a glance over Clarie from head to toe.

'Unless you're saying there's such a person with such similar names?' Fred laughed.

'Okay, I'm going to issue a clarification on the Daily Prophet- or whatever it's called some day: my name is truly, and undeniably called as Cla-rie Potter,' she said as she rolled her eyes, getting tired of people mispronouncing her name.

'Merlin's beard,' Fred murmured. 'For goodness's sake- we'll tell Perce! He'll never believe us but he shall see!'

'Oh, God, no! You two- stay here and if anyone of you dare to speak a single word of this...' she exclaimed.

'What? You'll do what?' George challenged.

She blushed. 'I'll cut your heart out, I swear...' she said through gritted teeth. She hated to look like an idiot. She'd stand out by playing cool, playing tricks on others, but not as a famous person for an incident she hated, or actually feared to mention, nor appearing as an idiot.

'Hullo, dears, anything off the trolley?'

A new voice joined before anyone could reply on that. It was an old lady who was pushing a trolley with odds and ends on it, from candies to pastries and all kind of fabulous food you can imagine, judging by the fantastic smell.

Clarie can hardly pretend that she wasn't hungry anymore, especially with the treats in front of her. She couldn't resist the temptation, now when Aunt Claudia out of her reach to stop her from eating any sweet things, for Aunt Claudia, as a dentist, never allowed sugar-contained treats to appear in her house.

'We'd better get our lunch here, George,' Fred said, and the two of them left the compartment.

Lee and Clarie took a careful look at the trolley. Clarie wanted to buy as many kinder chocolate bars as she can afford, but the old lady had only Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice wands and a wide range of things she's never seen. Eager to try on every new treats she can get by, she bought a little of each kind and returned to her seat.

'You are going to be stuffed and not able to munch a thing at the feast tonight,' Lee warned, though stared at her little pile of food with admiration. He bought himself a Cauldron Cake only.

'Well, I like to try on new things,' Clarie said, as she took a big munch on her pasty. 'Here, you can eat some of these – I may not be able to finish them but I want a try on each one.'

'Having a feast, everyone?' Fred said, as the twins returned to the compartment.

'Somehow, you can call it a feast if you like,' Clarie said. 'Why aren't you guys having lunch with your brothers?'

'Nah, Percy went off pegging away with his boring books, and Charlie had to stay in the Prefects' compartment,' George said, as he unwrapped a damp, sandwich-like thing. 'Ugh, mom's got it all wet – how am I supposed to eat it?'

'Here, eat anything here you please – I'm not able to finish them all anyway,' Clarie said, handing them some Cauldron cakes. The twins' eyes glittered with delight.

'Thanks!' said Fred and he snatched a cake and some chocolate frogs. The sandwiches remained ignored for the rest of the afternoon.

'It's great to be able to buy whatever you want,' said Lee gloomily. 'My father seldom allowed treats.'

'Me neither. Aunt Claudia never let me _touch _anything sweet,' Clarie said. 'But she's beyond reach and she cannot stick her nose in my business now. I'm going to try on everything she restricts.'

The four kids stuffed themselves with all the sweets and goodies they can get by. Clarie opened a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and she passed by a few tastes: toffee, chocolate, mint, steak, blood, cabbage, pepper, and was brave enough to take nibble a little bright red bean which turned out to be a chilli flavoured bean, giving her sensations of burning and heat on her tongue.

By the end a little heap of Chocolate Frogs were left. 'They aren't real frogs, are they?' Clarie asked carefully before she opened any of them.

'It's a charm only,' Fred said, picking a few packs carefully. 'It moves but you still can eat it. What people want most is only the cards of famous wizards and witches. You can start a collection now, we've got about two hundred.'

'Two hundred?' Lee said. 'I've got like seventy something so far only.'

Clarie took a pack and unwrap it. A little brown chocolate frog quavered, then suddenly leapt and jumped straightly into her mouth. 'Strike!' The twins chanted and chuckled. The frog tasted amazingly great, sweet and warmth it brought and cheered Clarie up.

She picked up the little card in the pack. On the card there was a picture of a thin, tiny woman withblack hair, which was unusually straight and uniform on her shoulder as a sheet of black, a long nose with icy blue eyes and wearing a smile which didn't reach her cold eyes. Beneath the photo was the name Jennifer Norton.

'Jennifer Norton?' Clarie said. 'Sounds familiar.'

'Strange that you know some names in this world more than we do, but she's quite famous, only died a few years back,' said Lee. 'Can I have a frog? I might get Lusper – thanks -'

Clarie turned over her card and it read:

_Jennifer Norton (1935-1987)_

_Considered as the most famous Dark Magic historian and Auror at modern times, Norton revealed the deepest secrets of this criteria through a few of her famous books, _Dark Arts: Your Deepest Fears _and _Foulest Creatures to be Seen. _Though she made a great success on discovery on Dark Arts, these books were restricted and were grouped into level III dangerous books. She died on 8__th__ March, 1987 at the age of 52._

She turned the card back but Norton's face disappeared.

'Hey, she disappeared!'

'Of course she does, dunghead, you 'spect her to remain all day round?'

Clarie remained silent for a while. 'Sounds like she's bad, like a villain.'

'She is,' George said, as a matter-of-factly. 'I mean, she's from Slytherin and she lost her job as an Auror since her late thirties, for having too much close contact with Dark Arts. But you can't say she didn't contribute.'

'Slytherin?'

'Of course! You don't know – oh, sorry, I forgot you were raised by muggles,' Lee said. 'There are four houses in Hogwarts that students will be sorted into: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.'

'The clever and cunning ones go to Slytherin, which are where most people went bad belongs - ' Fred said.

'While Gryffindors resembles brave and courage - ' George followed.

'Ravenclaws are the wise ones – '

'And Hufflepuffs are kind, loyal and patient, but most people say they are dumb-headers.'

'Sounds like Gryffindor's the best, and I think Ravenclaw's quite good also,' Clarie said slowly. 'I hope I'm not in Slytherin or Hufflepuff, they don't sound good. Ahh, I'd say Voldemort - '

The twins gasped and Lee gave a weak shriek. Clarie realised her mistake immediately.

'Sorry – sorry - I didn't mean this!' she apologized quickly.

'_You said his name!' _the three said in unison.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean this... just I've got loads to learn, you see?' Clarie said. 'You see, I didn't mean it and I don't even know what I should avoid to say. I bet I'm going to be sorted into Hufflepuff if I'm any slower.'

'You won't, mate, lots of muggle-born children get sorted in good houses,' George said, and he gave her an encouraging pat on her shoulder.

'Yeah, and it still sounds cool that Clarie Potter dared to say You-Know-Who's name,' Fred said, grinning widely.

'Actually, do you remember how did You-Know-Who look like?' George asked with an air of interest.

Of course she remembered. That white, snake-like face was still haunting her dreams occasionally. 'Somehow. Anyway, so – You-Know-Who was in Slytherin, right?' Clarie said, trying to change the subject.

'Yep, everyone knows it, he's pure evil, my mom says,' Fred said.

Suddenly the door flung open. Two boys and a girl entered the compartment. To Clarie's annoyance, she knew the face of the boy in the middle. He was the boy she met in Flourish and Blotts.

'So, this is true then,' the middle boy said, with more mild interest than arrogance on his face this time. 'People outside said that Clarie Potter was in this compartment, and just set off a firework.'

Clarie's mind raced quickly. She never told anyone her name except from the four boys in the compartment. How on earth did they know?

'Right, and thanks so much for coming round for this little visit,' Clarie said coldly. 'I'd be pleased if you get out now. There's no muggles here for you to jinx.'

'Half-bloods and blood traitors are no better than filthy little mudbloods,' the boy sneered, throwing a disgusted look at the other people in the compartment. Lee, Fred and George shot him an angry look. 'Especially with your lack of taste and idea of what true good friends are.'

Anger rose in Clarie's heart. She stood up, pulled out her wand and pointed it at the pale boy. 'I'm warning you now,' she whispered, audible to everyone in the compartment. The boy turned even paler than he already was at sight of it. 'Do – not – insult – my – friends – in – here.'

The pale boy suddenly sniggered. 'I heard you were raised by muggles, Potter,' the boy said. 'And what are you going to do with this? Poke me?' The other two sniggered, and by then Clarie took a glance at them. The boy was large and must be wearing XXL size robes and looked stupid with little piggy eyes. The girl resembled as an Asian, probably Chinese or Japanese, and had choppy short hair with a little strand of fringe on the front dyed in a sky blue colour like Clarie's blouse. 'Don't act it, Potter. You can cast a spell, even when I can't do it now.'

He said the wrong thing. Just as he let the truth that he still can't do charm works. Clarie cried, 'Mimble Wimble!'

The effect was immediate. As if his tongue was tied up, the pale boy couldn't utter a sound and looked slightly purple. The compartment bursted into laughter as the girl tried to pull the pale boy's tongue and tried to fix it. The other boy, though, ran inside and tried to punch Clarie.

Clarie avoided the gigantic fist and pointed her wand at the large boy's throat. He froze immediately, but looked so stupid and surprised that he resembled a pig so much. 'I'm warning you,' she said warningly. 'Get out of the place or I'll hex all of you.'

The three backed out and left the compartment, with the pale boy still making some screechy sound. 'That was fan-tas-tic!' Fred yelled

'Wait, slow it down,' George said. 'Did you know Rookwood?'

'Rookwood? So that's the stupid git's name?' Clarie said. 'Yeah, I met him once in Flourish and Blotts.'

'You really are in trouble now,' Lee said, sounding worried. 'You won't want to mess with Augustus Rookwood's son, Rookwood was an Unspeakable at the ministry. People respect them – well, most of them.'

'And he's got high social status,' Fred added darkly. 'Though he had a record of being accused as a Death Eater, but it was cleared. Still, Dad suspects him.'

'Death Eater?'

'Followers of You-Know-Who,' George said impatiently. 'Blimey, Clarie, what you know is really little.'

The sky was getting darker by the minute. Then the door flung open again and this time, Percy entered.

'Fred – George – you'd better change into your school robes now, we're almost there,' Percy said. He then turned to Clarie and held out his hand. 'So, you're Clarie Potter then, right? Pleasure to meet you, George told me that it was you here.'

George smiled, though packed with guilt. Clarie forced a smile and shook Percy's hand. 'C'mon, then, let's go, our trunks are in the other compartment!' George said and they ran out of the compartment. Clarie almost succeeded in kicking him. Percy then left the compartment and said, 'Nice to see you again, Potter!'

Clarie gave an angry grunt. 'We'd better change too, Clarie, if he said we're almost there,' Lee said, as he pulled out a set of robes out of his trunk. Clarie also took her uniform out and went to the washroom for a change.

After five minutes, she returned to her compartment and Fred, George and Lee had all changed into their robes. Then a voice echoed through the train: 'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.'

People started to ruffle out of their compartments. Clarie murmured nervously, 'I wonder what house I'll be sorted in.'

'You are going to Gryffindor, I bet,' said Lee. 'You've got loads of guts to set off that firework here.'

'And you haven't mention her hexing Rookwood,' Fred said cheerfully.

'Well, then, do you guys have any idea of what houses will you be sorted in?' Clarie asked.

'Most likely we'll be in Gryffindor,' George said. 'Most of our family is in it, and often the whole family is in the same house.'

'I hope we are all in the same house,' Clarie said as the train finally slowed down and stopped. They shuffled down the train among crowds of people onto a small, dark platform. Clarie shivered in the chilly evening air. Then a familiar voice rang over the platform: 'Firs'-years over here! Firs'-years over here! Alright there, Clarie?'

Hagrid's big face beamed over the sea of heads, and waved at Clarie. Clarie hurried through the crowd with Lee and the twins and reached Hagrid with the other first-year students.

'C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years, follow me!'

The little group of people slipped and stumbled behind Hagrid. They went down a steep, narrow and dark path and when they reached the edge of a large, black lake, they saw Hogwarts, a gigantic castle resting on the top of a high mountain at the other side of the lake. 'Wow,' Clarie said under her breath, but no one took notice, as most people also 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the sight of the vast castle with many turrets and towers under the starry night sky.

'No more'n four in a boat!' Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats by the shore. Clarie stumbled into one of them with Lee, Fred and George.

'Everyone in?' shouted Hagrid, who occupied a whole boat for himself. 'Right then – FORWARD!'

As if listening to Hagrid's command, the fleet of little boats slid forward towards the castle across the lake, which was rather a bumpy journey with the unstable, wavy lake below. The castle grew larger and larger as they e=went closer to the shore.

'Heads down!' Hagrid shouted as the first few boats approached to a cliff and Clarie saw, to her surprise, they went through a curtain of ivy and through a dark tunnel, and finally stopped and students stepped out onto a harbour made of pebbles and rocks.

'Everyone on yer feet?' Hagrid said. 'Right then – off we go!'

They followed Hagrid out of a passageway onto smooth, damp grass under the shadow of the gigantic castle. Then within a minute's journey, the reached a big oak door after climbing a flight of stone steps.

'Everyone here? No one's missing?'

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked thrice on the castle door.


End file.
